By the Book
by SophieSaulie
Summary: After a finale that left me feeling indifferent, I needed to create my own closure. WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH


**By the book**

_**After watching the finale, **__**Oia'i'o, where I had mixed feelings about what was happening, I found myself having to write what I needed to know might happen in my admittedly sick little world so here it is.**_

_And I'll remember the strength that you gave me_

_Now that I'm standing on my own_

_I'll remember the way that you saved me_

_I'll remember_

_- I'll remember - Madonna_

_Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy._

_-__F. Scott Fitzgerald_

Steve, Kono and Chin looked at the bloodied envelope. Scrawled on it was Steve's name in Danny's shaky, but recognizable handwriting. It'd been found on Steve's desk, along with a blood trail that had ended in a pool where Danny's body had been found.

Steve held the envelope, but was finding it hard to find the courage to open it. Chin took it out of his hands and opened it for him. Steve just let him do it. Chin pulled out the one page note inside, also in Danny's handwriting. He looked towards Steve, asking permission with that look and Steve could only nod.

"Steve," Chin began to read. "Got the evidence on Wo Fat to nail him on the deaths of the Governor and Laura. Gave it to Chin to give to DA. Couldn't trust anyone else. Knew he was working the inside. Not the kind of cop to sell out, knew that. Sorry I didn't act it when you got arrested. Guess your hothead, act-first, think-later methods have finally rubbed off. No regrets though. It served me this time."

Chin stopped to see small smiles on his friends' faces as well as his own. Danny had apologized to him later and the two of them had worked together to get Steve and Kono cleared. His chest tightened at the memory.

_Flashback_

"_I'm sorry I blew up at you. It was out of line. I know you wouldn't betray us, not for a promotion, not for anything."_

"_It's cool, brah. You had reason." Chin said with a smile._

"_You and me, we're the only things between Steve and Kono and prison. We have to find a way to clear them."_

"_You remember what I told you? I'm behind you 100%. Tell me what you need."_

Chin had remembered that Danny had pounded the streets, shook out every one of Wo Fat's riff raff into the open on his own to get the answers he needed, using Chin to arrest those that could be solidly held, making sure to not drag Chin down with him if anything went wrong. Danny had done things as by the book as he could so that no one could be released back on any technicality. He knew that Danny and Danny alone would have to do that because Chin had to stay clean in order to infiltrate the HPD ranks with impunity and trust. Jenna Kaye had helped Danny where she could, but in the end it had been Danny who had put a target on his chest.

"Evidence will clear you and Kono," Chin continued. "Sorry I won't be there to see it. Guess I took Super SEAL's example too well. Shoulda zigged instead of zagged, caught one, won't make it."

Steve's face collapsed with despair, knowing what had probably happened.

"Danny had no back up. No one would because he was helping me." Steve said his voice distraught. "I should have been there. I screwed this up and now Danny…I got everyone killed!"

Chin's face clenched in anger, grabbing Steve's arm to whirl him around and face him.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" He yelled. "Everyone believed in what they were doing, believed in your innocence.

"They sacrificed their careers, their LIVES to make it happen. Don't cheapen it by blaming yourself, taking on the cost as if you deserve it. You don't. Danny would never have done what he did if he thought otherwise. He did everything by the book so that none of Wo Fat's men or connections could escape the law. The only thing he couldn't escape was Wo Fat's bullet," Chin said, his voice cracking. "But he made sure that Wo Fat would never get up again to hurt anyone else."

Chin took in a breath, unable to read further. He and HPD had gotten there too late. Wo Fat had faced Danny like he had the Governor, but unlike her, Danny wasn't going to just stand there and take the bullet. Instead, he drew on him, but without his vest, he had been unprotected, still somehow Danny had managed to kill Wo Fat. Chin handed the note to Steve, thrust it his direction so that he would have to take it from him. Steve stared at it then lifted it to continue reading it.

"Tell Rachel, I didn't leave her and Grace behind, just couldn't let you and Kono go down without doing something about it. Couldn't have lived in Jersey knowing that, no matter how much I loved them both. Guess learned that from you too. No man left behind, right? Anyway, you're free to live your life. Don't waste it. Like I said, no regrets."

The note then just ended. Kono, her eyes red, her cheeks stained with tears, collapsed into Steve's arms where he embraced her, the note dropped to the floor. The office was silent save for the sound of sobbing. They were free to live their lives, but at that moment, none of them knew how to do that, instead, they mourned the one person who could have led them out of their despair.

**FIN. Don't get me wrong, don't want it to end this way for real and know it won't, but this is my closure on a finale that left me feeling a bit indifferent. Hope you enjoyed reading.**


End file.
